


like you a latte

by imposterhuman



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bad Flirting, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Coffee Addict Tony Stark, Coffee Shops, Flirty Bucky Barnes, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Oblivious Tony Stark, Soft Bucky, Soft Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:34:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22502596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imposterhuman/pseuds/imposterhuman
Summary: Tony walked into the coffee shop, trudging over to his usual spot with his eyes half-closed. He was on day three of no sleep and he’d run out of coffee in the lab, so he’d been forced to abandon his creator’s binge in search of fuel.Tiredly, he plopped down on a stool and pillowed his head in his arms, doing his best not to pass out. It wasn’t like his brain was shutting up; equations were still flashing behind his closed eyes, even as his body gave up on consciousness. If he could just figure out that last variable…“Wrong table again, doll,” a familiar voice sounded from next to him, jolting Tony out of his doze. “Keep doing that, and I’m gonna start thinking you want to spend time with me.”Tony groaned loudly, but didn’t bother lifting his head. “Shut up, Barnes."
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 16
Kudos: 700





	like you a latte

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SeijiShun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeijiShun/gifts).



> i have returned from the void! not for long because im still kinda sad but its definitely trending better so hopefully i can be back to frequent updates soon :))
> 
> for a prompt on tumblr from sejishun: "winteriron for 57. “I know you think we aren’t right for each other, but we’ve run into each other too many times for you to tell me that this isn’t fate.” or 86. “We could be an epic novel of forbidden lovers, like Romeo and Juliet without the ending.”, please and thank you❤❤"
> 
> enjoy!!

Tony walked into the coffee shop, trudging over to his usual spot with his eyes half-closed. He was on day three of no sleep and he’d run out of coffee in the lab, so he’d been forced to abandon his creator’s binge in search of fuel. 

Tiredly, he plopped down on a stool, trusting that Pepper had seen him come in and would bring him his usual quadruple espresso with her usual disapproving frown. God, but he loved Pepper, and not just because she made the best coffee he’d ever tasted. 

Tony pillowed his head in his arms, doing his best not to pass out. It wasn’t like his brain was shutting up; equations were still flashing behind his closed eyes, even as his body gave up on consciousness. If he could just figure out that last variable…

“Wrong table again, doll,” a familiar voice sounded from next to him, jolting Tony out of his doze. “Keep doing that, and I’m gonna start thinking you want to spend time with me.”

Tony groaned loudly, but didn’t bother lifting his head. “Shut up, Barnes,” he mumbled sleepily, reaching a hand forward to feel for Bucky’s coffee cup. If he was stuck with the other boy for the time being, he could at least make the best of it. 

“No, no, this is perfect,” Bucky passed him the full and steaming cup. “I know you think we aren’t right for each other, but we’ve run into each other too many times for you to tell me that this isn’t fate.”

“This isn’t fate, it’s three days without sleep,” Tony snorted. 

Bucky raised a challenging eyebrow. “And the last fifteen times?”

Tony flushed, but he kept his face hidden so that Bucky couldn’t see it. “You stole my table,” he accused. “And I’m nothing if not a creature of habit.”

So maybe that wasn’t strictly true. Bucky  _ had  _ stolen Tony’s usual table one day, and Tony, utterly shameless, had sat right down next to him, passive-aggressively slurping his coffee. Bucky had taken it in stride, and Tony had found himself crushing a little bit on him. In his defense, Bucky was really hot, and Tony was very weak. 

It was possible, not that he’d ever admit it, that he wasn’t going to his new table on purpose. It was all the way across the shop, and that meant no more stealing Bucky’s coffee, no more talking to the other boy about the stupidest things, no more  _ Bucky _ . So he blamed it on the sleep deprivation and kept on living his best life. 

The worst part, though, was the flirting. Bucky, it seemed, was an incorrigible flirt, much like Tony himself. But unlike Tony, it wasn’t like he actually meant it. It was just his personality. There was no possible way he could actually like Tony, and Tony needed to just accept that and get over Bucky Barnes. 

A soft clink stirred him out of his depressing thoughts. Pepper kissed his cheek as she placed the quadruple espresso in front of him. “Go home and sleep,” she said sternly. 

“Pepper,” Tony said between frantic inhales of coffee. “You know I love you with all of my heart, but I have work. And besides, sleep is for the weak.” 

“You’re an idiot,” Pepper rolled her eyes. She turned to Bucky. “You’ll convince him to get some rest, right? I have to get back to the counter.”

Bucky shot her a charming smile. “Sure will,” he said, casting a look at Tony. There was an odd expression on his face, but Tony wasn’t good at reading people when he was well-rested, much less running on no sleep, so he let it go. “Listen to your girlfriend. You look like you’re about to die.”

“I’m not gonna die; there’s so much caffeine in my veins and preservatives in my body that I’ll probably live forever,” Tony finished his drink and set it back down on the table. “And Pep’s not my girlfriend, so wrong on both counts there. That’s gotta be a record.”

Bucky blinked at him in shock. “Repeat that, please?” he said. Tony still couldn’t read his expression, so he put his head down. There was no use driving himself insane over it. 

“I’m about as killable as a cockroach and I’m not dating Pepper,” he repeated slowly, a little confused. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Not even a little bit,” Bucky shook his head. “So, all this time, I thought you had a thing for Pepper, right? So when you didn’t respond to me flirting with you, because you’re possibly the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, I figured it was because you were with her. Now, I’m realizing you probably just don’t like me. Which, not gonna lie, sucks a little bit. But it’s fine.”

Tony’s mouth fell open. “You’re fucking with me,” he said after a moment of stunned silence. “Right?”

“Nope,” Bucky’s cheeks were stained red, but he met Tony’s gaze evenly. “I’ve literally been flirting with you since we met. The first thing I ever said to you was a pick up line, Tony.”

“I thought you were just being nice!” Tony threw his hands up, trying to squash the flutters of hope in his chest. It was getting harder and harder to, though. “If, uh, you wanted to try that flirting thing again, though…” he trailed off. “Now that I know what’s happening, I think I’ll respond a little differently.”

Bucky looked at him for a long minute, and Tony’s stomach twisted in knots. What if Bucky didn’t like him anymore? What if he never did at all, and it was just one elaborate joke? Tony would never have pegged him for that type, but he’d been wrong about people before. He resisted the urge to look around for people hiding behind tables with a camera, ready to pop out and shout  _ gotcha! _

“Tony, doll, will you go out with me?” Bucky asked finally, a smile on his perfect lips. His tone got playfully dramatic and his grin turned mischievous. “Say yes; we could be an epic novel of forbidden lovers, like Romeo and Juliet… uh, without the ending.” He winced and dropped the theatrics. “Not my best finish there, but I think it got the point across.”

“That it did,” Tony agreed, leaning in. Before he could second-guess himself, he planted a quick kiss on Bucky’s mouth. It tasted like coffee, and Tony pulled away smiling. “And, hey, it worked!”

Bucky smirked at him, dragging Tony forward into another kiss. “Score one for bad pickup lines.”

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos make me happy :))
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr [@imposter-human](https://imposter-human.tumblr.com/)


End file.
